Meet the 6 contestants making history at Miss USA and Miss Teen USA 2024

Bailey Anne Kennedy is a trailblazer for the Miss Maryland pageant. She is the first transgender contestant to win the state title, as well as the first Asian American and the first woman over the age of 28. This is the first year all women aged 18 and over can compete at Miss USA.

Miss Maryland was also the very first pageant that Kennedy competed in.

"For the longest time, it wasn't possible for someone like me to compete — let alone compete and win," the 31-year-old told People. "It's not just a big deal for me. It's a big deal for many communities that I represent."

People reported that Kennedy immigrated to the US from Cambodia as a child. She is now married to a member of the US Marine Corps and volunteers for the United Service Organizations. Her motto is "beauty without an expiration date."

"My goal is to leave a positive impact behind so that I can make it easier for those with similar upbringings and clear up any misconceptions about 'stay-at-home' military wives, the LGBTQIA+ community, and immigrants of a particular age," Kennedy told People.

K Johnson has always dreamed of the Miss USA crown. She competed in the Miss California pageant four times before she aged out at 28.

Johnson told BI she had put a Miss USA crown on her vision board in 2023, but she still couldn't believe the news when she heard the age limit had been lifted. The very next day, she applied to compete at Miss Arizona.

At age 41, Johnson will make history as the oldest woman to reach the Miss USA stage.

Johnson has modeled at Los Angeles and New York Fashion Week and works as a project manager. She's also a decorated triathlete and springboard diver.

Johnson told BI that winning Miss USA would be "the job of a lifetime."

"It's an opportunity for me to get involved in an organization that I want to spend the rest of my life with," she said. "Not to mention getting to inspire women to not give up on their dreams."

Following the age limit change, Stephanie Sullivan was also eligible to compete for Miss USA this year. The 33-year-old is the first married woman and mother to win the Miss Indiana title.

Sullivan, who has three boys, is an aesthetician and owns her own beauty and wellness studio, according to her Miss USA bio. She also works as a model and makeup artist.

Following her win, Sullivan told WNDU that her victory was "for all women."

"It is something that is pivotal, and it's now the time where we can show the world that you don't have to choose between being a mom or a wife or a business owner," she added. "You can do all of these things, and you can do them beautifully together, and they can really co-exist and be successful."

Codi Miller first made a splash in the pageant world while representing North Dakota at the Miss Teen USA competition in 2009. She competed in the Miss North Dakota pageant six times before aging out at 28.

The 31-year-old is finally back on the Miss USA stage thanks to the rule change.

According to her Miss North Dakota bio, Miller was born on a working cattle ranch and is a nationally recognized cowgirl. She has also won the title of Miss Rodeo North Dakota and placed in the top 10 at Miss Rodeo America. She is now the national director of the Miss Rodeo North Dakota Organization.

"I can attest that since the age of 15 now being 31, the last 16 years, I can thank pageants for every great opportunity I've had in my life," Miller told KXNET after winning in May.

"I've been able to travel the world. I've been able to have amazing jobs and create some of the best friendships of women who are like-minded and goal-orientated," she added. "Pageants can truly change a young woman's life, win or lose."

Shavana Clarke, 29, is the first openly lesbian Miss USA state titleholder, as well as the first openly queer woman to represent Connecticut. She hopes her pageant journey will help break down boundaries.

"I realized in this journey that my sexuality is just as much a part of who I am as anything else," she told the Connecticut Post. "So why shouldn't I be open and talk about that?"

Clarke has a BFA in acting from the University of Connecticut and runs her own crochet-wear line, Sour Candy Studio. She crocheted her swimsuit for the Miss Connecticut competition.

The model and entrepreneur also uses her platform to break the stigma around mental health. The Connecticut Post reported that Clarke was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder when she was in her 20s.

"I never imagined that I would be in this place today as Miss Connecticut USA because I had struggled with my mental health so much," Clarke told the site. "And I thought to myself, 'I cannot possibly be that girl. She's untouchable. She's perfect.'"

"I think it's important to be so open about my mental health journey and about my diagnosis," she added. "So people can see that a titleholder isn't perfect. A titleholder is authentic."

Kayla Kosmalski made history in April when she became the first contestant with Down syndrome to win the Miss Delaware Teen USA title.

Kosmalski, who competed at Miss Teen USA this week, has been sharing her journey on TikTok. In one clip, she said she'd been "preparing my whole life" for the pageant.

"I've worked hard to prove to myself and the world that people with Down syndrome belong on every stage and every space," she added. "We shouldn't have to prove our worth, but oftentimes, we do."

The 18-year-old high school senior helped pass the ABLE Act — renamed the Kayla Act in Delaware — which allows states to run savings programs for people with disabilities. Kosmalski hopes her journey to Miss Teen USA will continue to break barriers.

"Kayla's remarkable journey to the crown has been fueled by her desire to inspire young girls around the state, nation, and globe who are navigating life with disabilities," Miss Delaware Teen USA's executive director, Vincenza Carrieri-Russo, told BI.